Process of manufacturing reinford ceramic articles.



UNITED STATES Patented July 19, 1904.

JULES DANSETTE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING REINFORCED CERAMIC ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,358, dated July 19,1904.

Application filed June 30, mos.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J ULEs DANSETTE, a citi- Zen of the Republic ofFrance, and a resident of 18 Avenue de la Bourdonnais, Paris, in theRepublic of France, have invented a certain new and useful 1m provedProcess of Manufacturing Reinforced Ceramic Articles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a process for manufacture of reinforcedceramic articles and permits of obtaining decorative plates and the likeof large dimensions without any joint and also objects in relief of anyform, all these articles being perfectly durable and resistant to frostand to washing with water, acids, and alkalies.

The process essentially consists in the use of pieces of wire-gauze ofsuitable dimensions, which are placed in a fusible paste consisting ofkaolin, silica, boric acid, and alkaline salts, the plates, slabs, orthe like thus obtained being dried at a temperature of about 40centigrade, whereunon they are placed in an enameling-furnace andsubjected to a temperature of about 900 Centigrade for four to fiveminutes. The plates subjected to that temperature undergo an incompletefusion,which determines a molecular transformation of the mass andproduces after cooling a hardening of the plates. One surface or bothsurfaces of the plates are then provided with a coating of ceramic pastesimilar to the first, but made slightly less fusible by the proportionsused in the mixture, whereupon the plates are again dried at about 40centigrade and placed in the enameling-furnaee, where it is subjected toa temperature of about 1,000 centi grade for five minutes. The heat atthat temperature acts first on the outer layers of paste, and when thelatter begin to soften the inner layer has not been enough influenced bythe heat to fuse. Besides this inner layer is very thin and serves onlyas a coating to protect the metallic carcass from oxidizing, so that itforms a body, with said carcass, by which it is supported and kept fromflagging. The surfaces thus prepared are then treated with enamelsconsisting of various silicates with fusing points below 1,000centigrade and having a coefficient of expansion equal to that SerialNo. 163,807. (No model.)

of the paste to which they are applied. The plates are finally baked inthe enameling-furnace for about five minutes and allowed to cool. Thepaste used in the first operation that is to say, that into which thewire is first placed-contains a considerable proportion of boric acid,which acts as a mordant and prevents the oxidation of the iron. Thispaste is obtained by taking the products hereabove mentioned in a stateof powder as found in the market and by adding thereto a quantity ofwater necessary to produce after stirring a clear mass. In this mass thegrains of the different products mixed together are of variablethicknesses. The mass must therefore be rendered homogenous, and this ispreferably effected by pounding the mass itself rather than by poundingthe powders sepa' rately before they are diluted in water. After thepounding the paste is passed through a sieve 0f sixty-that is to say, asieve which admits of sixty parallel threads in a length of one inch orthree thousand six hundred meshes to the squre inch. The paste hasasomewhat syrupy consistency, so that if the wire is removed in avertical position from the bath in which it is dipped the pasts does nottrickle down. The meshes of'the wire-gauze completely retain the paste,and the plate thus obtained is of very uniform thickness, the meshesbeing quite covered. After the first operation the plate is allowed todry in a vertical position at 40 centigrade, and then. it can be placedflat in the enameling-furnace without becoming deformed. In the secondoperation one side or both sides of the plate are coated with the pastewhich is to constitute the principal part of the final product andbymeans of which the product is given the desired thickness. Theoperation is as follows: The plate is placed upon a wooden trellis-workarranged above a vessel with low edges adapted to receive the liquidwhich trickles down during the operation. The paste is then poured overthe plate, the paste being slightly liquid and having previously beenpounded, so as to pass through a sieve of one hundred and twenty. Byamovement of the hand easy to acquire and by means of a jogging motionthe surface of the plate is furnace several times without any deteriora'tion or damage. The product obtained presents .a completely smoothexterior surface which may be compared to biscuit porcelain or finecrockeryware. The third operation, which consists in decorating andenameling the plates thus prepared, is executed in the 5 ordinary way ofdecorating biscuit china.

The plates can be painted in plain or mosaic style or ornamented inhalf-relief, or a simple transparent glaze can be applied to produce awhite glazed product like ordinary tiles. Multicolor effects areobtained by means of enamels made with metallic oxids like ordinarycolors. The fusibility of these enamels must be regulated, soas to bebelow the temperature of baking at 1,000 centigrade, for when the colorhas been applied it is baked in the enameling-furnace, as has alreadybeen mentioned. \Vith certain colors the decorating and enameling isexecuted as follows: The color is first applied on the plate, whereuponit is baked. It is then enameled and finally baked again. \Vith certainother colors the baking can be dispensed with and the enameling effectedat once that is to say, the color is first applied and is then enameledand baked in one single.operation. The enamel is put onthe surfaces tobe glazed by means of a sprayer, such as ordinarily employed for thiskind of ceramic work. The composition of the enamel approaches that ofthe paste to which it is applied, so that there is a similarity in thecoefficients of expansion which prevents the cracking technically knownas crazing. Owing to this fact the plates can be allowed to cool in theopen air after bak- .45 ing without special precautions and withoutdanger of accident; but if it does happen that a finished and glazedarticle shows flaws or the like due to accidents or other causes thesecan be easily remedied by applying more enamel and placing it in thefurnace again in order to obtain a perfect product, which was hithertoiinposslble 1n ceramic work.

Having now described my invention, what' I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A process for manufacture of reinforced ceramic articles, consistingin embedding a wire-gauze cut to the size of the articles to bemanufactured in a fusible paste composed of kaolin, silica, boric acid,and alkaline salts, in drying the plate thus obtained and baking it, incoating then the surfaces of the plate with a ceramic paste similar tothe first but made slightly less fusible, in drying and bak- 4 ing theplate again, in decorating and enameling the surfaces thus prepared withenamels composed of silicates, in baking a third time and allowing tocool, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A process for manufacture of reinforced ceramic articles, consistingin embedding a wire-gauze cut to the size of the articles to bemanufactured in a fusible paste composed of kaolin, silica, boric acid,and alkaline salts, in drying the plate thus obtained at a temperatureof 40 centigrade, in subjecting it to a temperature of 900 centigradefor about four to five minutes until it just begins to fuse, in coatingthen the surface of the plate with a ceramic paste similar to the firstbut made slightly less fusible, in drying the plate at a temperature of40 centigrade and subjecting it to a temperature of 1,000 centigrade forabout live minutes until the outer layers just begin to fuse, indecorating and enameling the surfaces thus prepared with enamelscomposed of various silicates having fusing-points below 1,000centigrade and a coeflicient of expansion equal to that of the paste towhich they are applied, in baking for five minutes and allowing to cool,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

JULES DANSETTE.

Witnesses:

ANTOINE. LAVOIX, J. ALLISON BOWEN.

